VP R&D

About FinAgra FinAgra is an agrifintech company building the technology and operating infrastructure needed to scale commercial agriculture in emerging markets. We combine financing, agronomy, field operations and technology to make farming operations more productive, controlled and investable. Role Purpose We are looking for a hands-on VP R&D to lead the development of FinAgra’s AI-driven operations platform and build the engineering team behind it. Our platform converts operational standards, business rules and real-time field data into plans, tasks and controlled decisions. It combines deterministic logic with AI where interpretation and adaptation are required, while keeping critical decisions traceable, testable and subject to appropriate human approval. This is a role for someone who has built software that coordinates real-world operations—not only analytics tools, dashboards or conversational AI products. The VP R&D will report to the CPO and work closely with Product, Operations and other business teams. Key Responsibilities Own the technical architecture, engineering roadmap and delivery of FinAgra’s platform. Build reliable AI-driven workflows that combine rules, structured data, automation and human decision-making. Design modular and testable systems for operational planning, execution, exception handling and continuous replanning. Ensure that automated decisions are explainable, auditable and grounded in approved data and rules. Define clear integrations and data ownership across internal and third-party systems. Establish strong engineering practices around testing, deployment, observability, security and production reliability. Lead and develop the existing engineering team while remaining technically hands-on. Recruit and build the broader R&D organization as the company scales. Work with Product and operational teams to translate complex real-world processes into practical software. Professional Experience Mandatory: Experience as a VP R&D, Head of Engineering, Engineering Director, technical founder or similar senior technical leader. Strong hands-on background in backend engineering and software architecture. Experience building AI-driven operational systems, intelligent automation, agentic workflows or decision-support platforms. Experience combining AI or LLM-based reasoning with deterministic logic, rules engines or structured workflows. Experience with distributed systems, APIs, data architecture and cloud infrastructure. Experience building systems where reliability, approvals, traceability and auditability are important. Demonstrated ability to lead a small engineering team and deliver complex products in a startup environment. Strong communication skills and the ability to work closely with non-technical domain experts. Bonus Points: Operations research, optimisation or workflow orchestration. Logistics, supply chain, industrial automation, fintech operations or workforce management. AI evaluation, monitoring and observability. Products designed for low-connectivity or emerging-market environments. Experience in agriculture or ERP systems is helpful but not required. The more important experience is building dependable technology that actively coordinates complex operations. What We Offer: A central role in building the digital infrastructure of two markets from the ground up Direct impact on business outcomes — without layers of bureaucracy Work at the intersection of agribusiness and enterprise technology Competitive compensation aligned with market rates Flexible working arrangement